


Total Reality

by LittleTayy



Category: His Dark Materials (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - unREAL Fusion, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Questionable ethics, Reality TV Show Setting, TV Show Producers, Unhealthy Relationships, Unhealthy Workplaces
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:07:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22615327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleTayy/pseuds/LittleTayy
Summary: After Everlasting UK's dismal 11th season, the Studio Board decided that some fresh blood was in order and brings in Asriel Belacqua; a top rated producer and,unfortunately, the current executive producer, Marisa Coulter's, ex.In an already tension filled and high stakes environment, sharing a show and a child together, may be enough to set the show aflame.
Relationships: Lord Asriel/Marisa Coulter, Lord Asriel/Ruta Skadi (Past Relationship), Original Character/Original Character
Comments: 22
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, basically I binged all 4 seasons of unREAL a while ago and then wrote this! A fabulous show with the two main characters morally questionable women. Check it out!
> 
> In this story, basically, Marisa is a reality show producer and she brought _Everlasting_ (the made up reality show from unREAL) over to the UK. So this story is set in the same universe and there probably will be vague references to the show unREAL but none of the actual characters will be showing up in this story. 
> 
> I couldn't get it out of my head that Marisa and Asriel would probably fit in very well in these roles and I wanted to explore that. For now, I'll just be posting the first chapter and if the reception is good, I'll finish the whole story. I've already got half of chapter 2 written and plan for 10 chapters in total if I do continue. If not, this would work as a standalone. 
> 
> Please, if you enjoy, leave a comment! :) LT.

**ONE**

* * *

It is the morning before they are due to start shooting and an early morning call from Hugh MacPhail, the Network Head for Reality Programming, does not seem like a good start to the season to Marisa. He’d wanted to meet her early in her office, on set and really, Marisa knows she couldn’t have refused. The renovated, upgraded, mansion like castle they film in is beautiful but as Marisa steps out of her car, grabbing her bags and slamming the thousand dollar doors shut, she feels nothing but dread looking up at it. 

She takes a deep breath, exhales slowly and plasters on a wide charming smile. It’s best, she figures, to start the day at least  _ pretending _ like she’s got everything under control. A surprise meeting with MacPhail, on her set no less, does not spell anything good for her and after the underwhelming success of the previous season; she can admit, at least to herself, that she is worried. She strides around the side of the small castle, the crew scurrying around her and trying not to touch, heading straight for the control room and her office. 

“Uh, Marisa. Mr. MacPhail is here and uh-” Her assistant Clara starts, stepping into stride beside her and handing over the good coffee, the one not from craft services. 

“Yes, I know,” Marisa starts before registering that Clara said  _ here _ and not  _ on his way _ . Shit, she thinks, waving her incompetent assistant away. “Why didn’t you  _ ring _ and let me know?” She snaps out, not even looking at the young girl and wondering if she can fire her before shooting even starts. She takes a sip of her coffee as she steps through the control room doors and reconsiders; it’s  _ mocha _ and maybe she shouldn’t fire her just yet. 

Marisa stops for a moment, in the doorway, glancing around at her team; her hand-picked producers to be precise. Boreal is looking smug and suave and eager to please; she can already see he’s got a plan in mind, even if there’s a hint of worry on his face. Serafina, as always, looks calm and collected and if the other producer didn’t hate her so much, they could truly create some magic together; not that Serafina has ever needed help with that. She’s almost as good as Marisa herself; the amusement on her face has her curious though. Ruta is her newest producer, only a season in with the show but she’s got promise and potential and...she looks slightly doe-eyed and dreamy. 

That is not the look or image Marisa wants to see on her producers the day shooting is to start. Her brows furrow and she makes a mental note to talk to Ruta at some point today, to make sure her head is in the game. After all, they have a show to produce and a spectacular season to look forward too; she needs them all focused and on the ball. This season couldn’t afford to flop. 

She turns towards her office then, with Lyra sitting on her phone beside her door and-

“Lyra?” Marisa exclaimed, eyes narrowed at her 13 year old daughter, who glances up at her with an expression Marisa has seen many times before. 

She knows  _ exactly _ what this means. Her eyes go hard and her expression goes cold as she storms past Lyra into her office, slamming the door shut behind her. 

“Marisa. Nice of you to join us,” Hugh MacPhail says by way of greeting, his weasely little face impassive as he turns to look at her. 

“Yes, well, I wasn’t expecting to be ambushed,” Marisa counters frostily, her eyes gliding around the room before stopping on the back of her chair. It’s turned away from her desk and the room, to the doors that lead outside onto the patio but Marisa doesn’t have to see the man’s face to know  _ exactly _ who is sitting in her chair. “What the  _ hell _ is he doing here?” She says slowly, a little too much venom in her voice considering she’s talking to her boss. 

At that,  _ her _ chair spins around slowly to reveal the disgruntled but smug face of Asriel Belacqua. Lord, TV Producer and her ex-lover and  _ baby daddy _ . 

In the middle of the room, MacPhail sighs, hands tucked together behind his back as he looks between Asriel and Marisa, both in their opposite corners. Marisa is fuming, she looks like she’s ready to scratch someone’s eyes out and MacPhail wouldn’t be surprised if she did. Asriel, he knows is just as displeased but he’s got a cocky arrogance and a glint in his eye that is already giving MacPhail a migraine. He’d told his bosses this was a bad idea; that Asriel and Marisa couldn’t be locked up on a set together for 8 weeks. They’d burn the place down with each other inside. 

“Now, now,  _ Mrs. Coulter _ ,” Asriel talks before MacPhail can say anything and Marisa’s blood boils at the use of her married name. “That’s not any way to talk about your new boss,” he continues on, as casually as if he was talking about the weather. 

Immediately, Marisa tenses, frosty blue eyes turning to glare over at MacPhail. “What? This is my show, Hugh. I don’t need someone looking over my shoulder,” She told him in disbelief, taking a breath and forcing a pleasant smile onto her face. Her mouth opened to continue, but MacPhail held up a hand and she snapped her mouth shut. 

“It’s already done, Marisa. After last season...well, the board wants things back on track and running smoothly again,” he told her, tone almost bored and monotone. “Asriel is an executive producer, he’ll be running the show,  _ along _ with you. Think of it as a fresh set of eyes,” MacPhail informed her, giving her a pointed look before heading towards the door. 

Marisa doesn’t move and instead makes MacPhail squeeze around her to open the door and finally leave. She breathes deeply, hearing the door click shut behind her before turning her attention back to the man sitting in her chair like he owned the place. She strode forward, intending to ignore Asriel for as long as possible as she placed her bags down on her desk and pulled off her coat, tossing it over the couch against the wall. She can feel his eyes on her and she refuses to give him the satisfaction. 

“You look beautiful,” Asriel tells her and she resists the urge to throw a paperweight at him; even though she knows his words are genuine. Maybe more so because they are genuine. 

She doesn’t take the bait, hands smoothing out over the sides of her dress, settling on her hips as she glances towards the door MacPhail had left through. For a moment, she considers following him and whipping the crew back into work mode, after all the show will be starting in less than twenty four hours. But then she remembers the child sitting on a chair outside her office, looking as annoyed as Marisa used to at that age. 

“What on Earth is our daughter doing here?” Marisa asks, spinning around to glance back at Asriel, eyebrow raised. 

At that the smug look on Asriel’s face faded a little as he let out an annoyed huff. “Leaving her at home with the Nanny for two months didn’t seem like much of a punishment. Especially when we know she runs off anyway,” Asriel told her and Marisa sighed, jaw clenching a little. 

She had forgotten that they’d decided to lock down Lyra’s summer privileges since that incident at her school. Asriel usually had her for the first month of the summer break and then Marisa the second but with them  _ both _ working here now; it seemed Lyra would get to be seeing them both this summer. She sighed, not particularly happy about a child being on her set, but at least Lyra would be around and hopefully somewhat entertained. 

“Right. Fine,” she nods sharply, realising there isn’t really another solution. “I suppose we should set some ground rules for her. But for right now, we better get out there and introduce you to the crew,” Marisa replied, voice dripping with sarcasm as she turned on her heels and disappeared out her office door. 

* * *

“Alright, listen up,” Marisa started, catching the attention of the control room and snatching her walkie up from the table. All eyes were on her and she waited, a fake smile on her face, until she felt Asriel come to stand beside her, to start talking. “This is Asriel Belacqua, whom I’m sure some of you already know. He’s joining us as a second executive producer this season,” Marisa announced to the room. 

Her eyes found Boreal’s, who didn’t look pleased whatsoever, ignoring the slight murmur that was building in the room. Her lips pursed, arms crossing and walkie antenna tapping annoyed against her forearm. It was a clear sign she was unhappy and the control room quickly died down. 

“The Suitor should be here soon and I need his suite prepared and ready to go. I’ll still be calling the show, so let me know when he gets here. Understood?” She proceeded, looking to her three producers to make sure they got the message. 

She held back a frustrated sigh when she realised only Serafina seemed to be paying attention. Boreal was pouting, on his phone and she hoped he was working on something for the show. But, it was Ruta that made her frown, quickly; the young producer’s eyes were steadily focused on Asriel, still looking doe-eyed and dreamy and something inside Marisa twisted dangerously. 

“Ruta! Get that suite fixed up,” she snapped out, voice sounding far harsher then she’d meant it to. She looked around the room once again, the rest of the control room crew just sitting around and frowned. “Don’t you all have jobs to be doing?” She asked slowly, voice dangerous and tight. 

The room bustled alive then and people started moving, Marisa smiled wide, nodding her head. It felt good to be back in charge, even if she was now answering to Asriel, at the network’s request. She turned to look at him, lips pursing a little as she noticed the smug, amused smirk he wore and shook her head. Asriel was the last person she wanted to deal with but it seemed she would be stuck with him for the foreseeable future. 

“You always did know how to command a room,” Asriel murmured as they both turned back towards her office. They didn’t have to speak about it, they both knew they’d need to speak to Lyra before she ran off. She couldn’t believe that they were still so in sync after all these years. 

“Lyra,” Marisa started, her smile turning more genuine at the sight of her daughter. She hadn’t seen her yet, since the summer break had begun; her young teenage daughter had headed straight for Asriel’s once school was over. 

Asriel didn’t say anything, as Marisa opened her door and waited for them both to follow, he simply knocked his head towards the office. Marisa sighed as she noticed her daughter’s eye roll, clearly unimpressed at being pulled away from her phone. 

“Yes?” She questioned, looking between them both as she sat on the long couch Marisa had in her office. Marisa moved to lean against her desk, a hand on her hip and her walkie in the other, as Asriel perched himself across from Lyra, looking for once, stern. 

“It seems you’ll be with us on set for the summer. Your usual privileges have been revoked, considering that stunt you pulled at school,” Marisa started, sighing out the words. 

She had never been in the habit of bringing Lyra to set, especially not for this show. She glanced over at Asriel, nodding at him to continue, since his discipline was actually something Lyra listened to. Unlike hers, which simply got her an eye roll. 

“While you’re here, you’re not to be running about and getting in people’s way. Don’t talk to the contestants and don’t distract the crew. This is a set, not a playground. And above all, stay behind the camera, understand?” 

His tone was serious and for once, Marisa was glad for it as he spoke to their child. It was rare that he set boundaries for her at all; that had always been Marisa’s role as a parent and it was growing more and more volatile the older Lyra got. 

“Yes, Father,” Lyra said with a nod and somewhat serious expression. It seemed like she might actually  _ listen _ to the rules they were laying out. Which, suddenly reminded her. 

“Oh. And none of that snapchatting or instagramming behind the scenes stuff, okay? The show is supposed to be a surprise and well, mostly we don’t want the contestants to get any ideas,” Marisa told her, giving her a playful smile. 

She ignored the groan she got from Lyra but knew Asriel would back her up on that, if they had too. 

“Can I go now?” Lyra asked, looking between her parents expectantly. She was not used to them being such a team. 

Marisa nodded. “Yes. You can have a look around but, do stay out of the crew's way.” 

Lyra grinned, springing up off the couch and dashing out of the office. Marisa watched her go for a moment before sighing, finger tapping the top of the walkie still in her hand. 

“So, you’re still calling the show huh?” Asriel said after a beat, pushing up from his seat and making his way over to her. 

“ _ Yes _ . This is still my show,” Marisa replied lowly, not wanting to get into an argument before the camera’s even started rolling. She slipped away, around her desk, watching him warily. “I’ll call the first episode and maybe tomorrow, we can see how you go. But I wouldn’t hold my breath, or maybe you should,” she replied, voice lilting and challenging. 

Asriel grinned, arms crossing as he looked at her. His mouth opened to speak, as the walkie crackled to life, saving Marisa from having to hear whatever it was he’d been about to say. 

_ “The suitor is 5 minutes out, boss.”  _

Marisa grinned, lifting the walkie and giving it a little wave in Asriel’s direction. “I better get producing then,” Marisa remarked, exiting out of the patio doors. 

* * *

Marcus King was an excellent choice in Suitor. He was handsome, a businessman and family orientated; a wholesome heart throb, through and through. Marisa couldn’t deny that she had been  _ ecstatic _ to secure him as the Suitor for the new season; even if the caveat in his contract had been that she produced him and not the others. 

It was an unusual compromise, after all she was an executive producer, she ran the show. But Marcus had insisted, he’d said he liked her tenacity and drive, and Marisa would do anything for the show. So, she’d agreed and now Marcus King was pulling up in the long driveway, stepping out of the Range Rover with a charming smile. 

His eyes found her immediately and Marisa grinned widely, stepping forward to shake his hand. “Mr. King, I’m so pleased you’re finally here,” she greeted him pleasantly, shaking his hand quickly. 

The Suitor chuckled. “I told you. You can just call me Marcus,” he replied with a playful wink. 

Marisa chuckled, shaking her head a little as she gestured for him to follow her. He was a natural flirt and she hoped that he directed that towards the contestants when they eventually arrived. She had no doubt it would cause good drama and good television. 

“Alright, Marcus. I’ll show you to your suite and then around the set. Get you settled in,” Marisa told him, a hand on his elbow as she directed him around the side of the castle and towards his room. “We’ll shoot the introductory video soon. I’ll get someone in to freshen you up,” she told him. They were statements and not questions; as her American counterpart would say, he was a meat puppet and nothing more. 

“You don’t plan to freshen me up yourself?” Marcus retorted, smiling cheekily at her. 

Marisa simply shook her head, biting back the smirk that threatened to bloom on her lips. Marcus King had an air of trouble around him and Marisa only hoped she could harness that into creating a cracker of a season. She shook her head, smiling sweetly as she dropped her hand from his elbow. 

“That’s not my  _ job _ ,” Marisa replied smoothly, an eyebrow raising as she looked up at him. 

Marcus simply laughed. Marisa led him through to his suite, the walkie crackling in her hand every now and then but thankfully with nothing important coming over the radio. She gave him the quick tour, informing him of the cameras set up in the room, as she was required to; though failed to mention the two other cameras that had been installed. 

“And if I want some….privacy?” Marcus asked, stepping closer and settling a hand on her waist, charming smile back in place as he looked down at her.

Marisa looked up at him for a moment, lips pressed together before letting out a musical laugh. Her free hand came up to settle over his on her hip, as the walkie attached one pressed against his broad chest. She loosened his hold on her, pulling his hand away from her hip and pushing him back slightly, shaking her head. 

She stepped right back out of his space, taking a breath as she gestured towards the bathroom. “People tend to throw a towel over the cameras. We don’t encourage it but, we understand people do want privacy for some things,” Marisa told him soothingly, eyes meeting his as she smiled widely. 

Marcus’s gaze flicked between the bathroom door and up towards the main bedroom camera. “Alright, I get it. Definitely good to know,” he replied, still grinning down at her as he nodded. 

Marisa took a step back, recognising the look in his eyes and deciding she needed to get back out there and do some  _ actual  _ work. “I...will leave you to settle in. Then someone will come and get you soon to shoot the promo content,” she informed, turning for the door. 

She didn’t say anything else or turn back as she pulled the door open and stepped outside. She called through the walkie for Serafina, wanting her to get Marcus ready and to get the promo content shot before they had to leave to get their girls ready. She strode through the set, heading for the control room, hoping that no one had been paying too close attention to the Suitors room. 

Unfortunately as she stepped into the room, she found Asriel sitting in  _ her _ chair, his gaze firmly on the monitors set up. Her lips pursed but she wasn’t going to say anything, not yet at least. She was just grateful that the room was practically empty, even the editor wasn’t there, which was a surprise considering he tended to be glued to his gear. 

Lyra was nowhere in sight, so she decided to bypass Asriel altogether and headed past him, straight for her office. For a moment, she wondered if he’d demand an office of his own and if she could get away with putting him as far away from her and the control room as she could. She let the thought go; she doubted Asriel would put up with that. 

“I see your persuasion techniques haven’t changed much,” Asriel said gruffly to the empty room as her hand landed on the handle of her door. 

Marisa frowned at the words, turning slowly back around to look at her ex. Her face was impassive as her eyes met Asriel’s; it would be just her luck that he’d be the only one to see the Suitors little display. Internally, she groaned at her misfortunate which she was sure Asriel would use in some way to his advantage. It would be just like him to get one up on her in such a way. 

However, instead of biting back like she was sure he wanted, fighting always had been their main form of communication; she simply grinned pleasantly. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean Asriel,” Marisa told him sweetly. “I’m simply doing my job. Perhaps, you should start doing yours,” she continued, opening her door and taking a step inside. She shut it swiftly, before she could hear anything Asriel had to say in response. 

* * *

The rest of the day moved quickly then after the unexpectedness of the morning. She’d sent her three producers out to get their girls ready and went about setting the rest of the show up. She was also quietly glad to have Ruta’s distracted heart eyes off her set. Asriel had thrown himself into the books as she handled producing and shooting the Suitor; a job that was made harder by his constant flirting. The bright spot of her day however, had been having lunch with Lyra. 

Her daughter still wasn’t sold on having to be on set with both her parents, and quite frankly, Marisa wasn’t sure she ever would be. But Marisa had tried to play it up as a fun summer experience for her daughter, who seemed forever uninterested in anything she had to say. It grated on her nerves but Marisa had decided not to push, though it went against every instinct that she had. Lyra was her  _ child  _ not some asshole executive or bratty contestant; she couldn’t just push and pull and manipulate until she got what she wanted. 

Before she knew it, the 7pm shoot time had rolled around and she and Asriel were in the control room, Marisa ready to call the first show of season 12. 

“It’s time. Let’s make this a great season,” Marisa announced to the room, turning to look at the crew and at Lyra sitting off to the side, out of the way. She was still grinning even as she glanced at Asriel before turning towards the monitors. “Action,” she called into the walkie, watching as the screens lit up and Lee Scoresby, the host, appeared on the monitors for the first time that season. 

Lee gave his usual spiel, like an overactive puppy, at the front of the castle and Marisa rolled her eyes at his grating American accent. He finished and then asked if he’d been exuberant enough; Marisa almost rolled her eyes before replying. They needed to move on and introduce the Suitor and the contestants and get the first Leaving ceremony done. They did not have time for Lee’s doubts. 

_ “You were bloody perfect Lee _ ,” Marisa consoled into the walkie, exchanging an amused glance with Dr. Cooper, the show psychologist sitting by the corner. 

Lee’s response came over the screens, two thumbs up and a grin into the camera. 

“Let’s get our Suitor in there now,” she ordered into the walkie, legs crossing as she leant back in her seat. Her assistant Clara ushered Marcus onto his mark and Marisa snuck a glance at Asriel sitting beside her. A small smirk lifted the corners of her lips as she noticed his stone-faced expression. “The Suitor’s intro Lee and make it snappy,” Marisa instructed into the walkie. 

The camera crew reset and started to film but Marisa frowned when Marcus started to speak. She let him go on for another moment before calling cut. “Tell him  _ more charming.  _ Liven up! He’s got all the personality of a damn cardboard cutout,” Marisa insisted through the walkie, talking to Clara. She was frowning, completely surprised by Marcus’s lacklustre performance on camera; she had thought, if anything, he would be turning on the charm and flirtiness up a notch or two more. Not being dull as a door knob. 

She watched with curiosity as Clara pulled him off to the side a little, hopefully giving him her exact notes. Marcus looked, for the first time since she’d met him, a little unsure about himself. She frowned, wondering what that was about but figuring she’d talk to him after they wrapped for the night. Beside her, she could feel the amused and smug energy radiating off of Asriel and it took everything in her not to whip around to ask him what he’d done. She didn’t know how yet, or why, but she was sure Asriel had something to do with Marcus’s suddenly quiet demeanour. 

She pursed her lips, calling action once again and grinned as Marcus finally came alive, personality shining through the TV monitors, just as she’d known it would. He was the right choice for Suitor and she’d known it almost as soon as they’d met. 

_ “First car is 5 minutes away,”  _ she heard Boreal say through the walkie and she called for Byrnison and Costa to set up for the arrivals. 

With the arrival of the first contestants imminent, she turned to glance at the board filled with the girls head shots. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she spotted Boreal’s first choice and obvious  _ Wifey _ selection; a lawyer, well-renowned and an almost carbon copy of Marisa herself. Only her fiery red hair made her image more enticing. At the initial casting, Marisa had been resistant but she couldn’t deny that the potential Wifey and Marcus would be a suitable match. 

There were a few others that caught her eye, especially from Serafina’s girls, who seemed to have some very  _ good _ contenders for potential Wifeys and for drama. Ruta’s girls, she was skeptical about but the other woman had managed to get a girl into the Top 3 last season, so she knew she wasn’t completely hopeless. Ruta had all the right qualities to be a star-producer, just like Serafina and she contemplated taking the other woman under her wing. She’d never been a mentor before but she was sure she could lead Ruta along the right path. 

She smiled, just as the first car arrived. “Everything’s set, send in the first girl,” Marisa instructed Boreal, trusting that he’d know the right choice to make. 

They got through the run of contestants easily, only having to reset a couple of times. It was just after midnight when they eventually set up for the first Leaving ceremony. Marisa had her ideas about who should stay and who should leave but this was the one part of the show that was ultimately up to the Suitor. She’d had other Suitors and Suitresses go rogue on her before. She hoped Marcus would play his part the way he was supposed to. 

It didn’t surprise her when he chose Vera Quinn, her lookalike, to stay. She almost rolled her eyes. She was beyond pleased when her chosen Villain remained and when all the potential Wifey’s were picked too. Marisa had always liked it when the Suitors did as she wanted, even if they didn’t directly know it. It gave her a thrill of power that was always rather addictive. 

In all the excitement, they’d managed an argument  _ and _ tears all on the first night, she’d almost forgotten that Lyra was there. As she called a wrap for the night she glanced around the control room, to find Lyra looking half asleep in her seat. Marisa grimaced, sending off her producers to do their jobs as she finally put her walkie down and stood up. Asriel frowned as she did so before following her gaze and seeming surprised; apparently she hadn’t been the only parent to forget Lyra was around. 

“You should take her home,” Marisa said after a moment, heading over to her daughter. She brushed some hair back from Lyra’s forehead, surprised when the young teenager didn’t stir. 

“Trying to get rid of me?” Asriel replied teasingly, a smirk on his lips. 

Marisa shook her head, letting out a sigh. “No, Asriel. I just don’t think sleeping on a chair is good for her. I’ll get a camp bed or something for my office but, for now, she should probably sleep in her own bed,” Marisa told him matter-of-factly. 

She was on a high from their good first night of shooting. She wasn’t going to argue with him. 

Asriel simply huffed, nodding. He knew she was right and despite herself, Marisa wasn’t going to gloat about it. She picked up the phone and AirPods on Lyra’s lap, as Asriel knelt down to pick her up but was surprised when the 13 year olds eyes slowly opened. 

“What ya doing?” she mumbled sleepily, a hand coming up to wipe at her eyes. She was gazing up at them both curiously. 

“I was going to carry you to the car. It’s time to go home,” Asriel replied, squatting down beside her. 

Marisa almost laughed at the scrunched up facial expression Lyra gave her father at the words. She watched as her daughter shook her head. “I can walk. It’s  _ fine _ ,” Lyra told him sleepily, pushing his hands away as she sat up straighter. 

“Are you sure darling?” Marisa asked instinctively. She sighed at the dirty look Lyra shot her. 

“ _ Yes Mum _ . I’m almost 14. I don’t need your help,” Lyra told her, tone sickly sweet and Marisa cringed as she recognised it as one she used frequently. 

“Alright,” Marisa replied, handing over the phone and earphones to her daughter. “Well, I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight, my darling,” Marisa murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to Lyra’s forehead. Marisa counted it as a victory that Lyra didn’t pull away from her. 

“Night,” Lyra mumbled back, turning to head for the door. Asriel stood, impassive by her side and she tried not to let the brush off show it had affected her. Asriel simply looked at her, a knowing glint in his eyes and Marisa huffed, shaking her head before turning towards her office. 

“You should go home too Marisa. Get some sleep, I can see you’re tired,” Asriel said after a moment, his eyes never leaving her. 

Marisa pressed her lips together, back still to Asriel, trying to keep the frown from her face at his words. Inhale, exhale. She settled a sweet, fake smile on her lips as she finally turned around to look at him. It was only the first day, she couldn’t let him get under her skin so  _ quickly _ . 

“It’s sweet of you to worry but it looks like you need the sleep more than I do,” Marisa replied, voice smooth and velvety. “Besides, I’ve still got some things to tie up,” she continued, head tilting slightly as her eyes met his. 

“Like the Suitor?” Asriel asked blithely, his arms crossing and his gaze imperious. 

Marisa frowned at his words, trying to keep the tension from her jaw as she shook her head. “I’m sure I don’t know what you might mean, Asriel,” she replied after a moment, voice light and sweet; portraying a calm she didn’t feel inside. 

Asriel simply scoffed, glaring at her. “I’m sure you don’t. I’m going to take our daughter home,” he told her roughly, a sneer marring his features. 

“Goodnight, Asriel,” Marisa said sharply and with that, she turned once again heading for her office, the door closing with a slam. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marisa learns something she didn't know before and Lyra tries to put her own plans into action.

**TWO**

* * *

It is the third day of shooting and already Marisa feels as if no one is doing their job properly. The things they've shot since the great first night have hardly been trend worthy or drama worthy of reality television. It is as if everyone on set, crew and contestants included, have decided that they want to present their best faces. 

Everything about it is infuriating. 

Marisa is in the business of crying, scratching, screaming reality drama. The whole show, while branded as a wholesome show about finding love, would be nothing if they didn't have the ridiculous, drama filled meat in the middle. Meat her producers are supposed to be producing and yet aren't. Boreal and Ruta were both off their game, for reasons she could and couldn't understand. Serafina was the only one besides herself keeping the show together and it had only been three days. It was far too early for the routine show breakdown. 

In her mind, there was only one possible reason for the sudden change in atmosphere on her show. Asriel lurked around the set, putting everyone on edge. Every time they were in touching distance, let alone the same room, Marisa’s skin tingled with _discomfort_ and she knew Asriel. She could only imagine how others felt with him around and calling the shots. 

But as she stared down at the paperwork full of budgets, she knew she couldn't get rid of him. The studio wanted him there and as much as she liked to tussle with MacPhail and in turn the Board, she did know when she was beat. It settled an unpleasant weight in her stomach at the thought she would always have to be at the mercy of their whims. She knew not one of them held an ounce of the intelligence she did or respected her in the way they did Asriel. 

She was so wrapped up in her commiserating that she almost didn't hear her walkie come to life on her desk. She frowned as she heard Boreal’s voice asking her to come out onto the set, sounding urgent and Marisa hoped for some kind of drama to exploit. Anything to create some good show content. 

“I'm on my way,” she replied, pushing up from her seat and heading out the patio doors. 

They weren't currently shooting anything, just setting up for the little competition to decide who would be going on the first group date. The fact cameras weren't rolling had her curious about what could be so urgent that Boreal was pulling her away when she'd asked not to be disturbed. As she made her way across the garden, she could finally see Boreal, Serafina, Asriel and surprisingly, Marcus all having what seemed to be a heated discussion. From the corner of her eye, she could even see Lyra watching the exchange along with the crew. 

“Unless someone is dying or having a breakdown, why am I here?” Marisa asked, catching the attention of the small arguing group. It became abundantly clear that the drama she craved, wouldn’t be for the camera. 

She stopped a few feet away, gazing at the four people, her smile charming but deadly. She was waiting for one of them to speak, her gaze flicking between Asriel and Boreal, the two she had no doubt were the leaders in this scuffle. To her surprise it was Serafina that decided to speak up, stepping forward before Asriel had the chance to open his mouth. She couldn’t help but smirk at the expression of annoyance that flickered over his features for a moment before focusing on Serafina.

“Asriel wants to change the group date. Boreal and I-” Marisa could have _laughed_ at the distaste in Serafina’s voice at admitting she agreed with Boreal on something. “-were just trying to explain that we can't change the group date on such short notice. It’s been planned for _weeks_ ,” Serafina told her matter of factly. 

Marisa frowned, glancing from Serafina to Asriel, who did not look in the least bit bothered. Her eyes found his and she could've groaned at the cocky glint in his eye; his sureness in himself had always been attractive to her. But considering they were now on the opposite sides of an issue, she knew it wouldn't bode well for them; it never did. Especially not when the group date was in a few, short hours. 

“Asriel,” she breathed, his name the only indicator that she wanted him to follow, as she moved to as private a corner as a reality show set could manage. 

He followed after her without a word, though he looked less than happy. Marisa took a deep breath, she didn't need to argue or fight with him. She just needed to explain that last minute changes to group dates didn't mean changing the entire date completely. It was after all the first group date of the season. It had been planned before Asriel had even been made a producer on the show and Marisa detested the idea of Asriel thinking he could just change things in any way he wanted. 

“They’re making a fuss for nothing. My idea for the first group date is a good one. It’ll be much more entertaining than that paint class,” Asriel started, talking sweetly, his eyes focused on hers and a little smirk lifting the corners of his mouth. “It’s a lot more _physical_. Don’t we want to get shots of him touching the women? And them touching him? We’re trying to sell that he’s desirable, aren’t we?” Asriel continued, stepping in closer to Marisa now, looking at her directly, as if trying to entice her. 

The way he spoke, so smoothly and sweetly, a familiar roughness to his voice had Marisa almost agreeing to whatever his ridiculous idea was. His physical presence alone was a little bit disorientating and Marisa cursed herself for getting caught up in his words and his physical presence. A frown crossed her features as she saw the satisfied smirk forming on his lips and her expression hardened, eyes narrowing as she took a step back, away from him and creating some distance. 

“No, Asriel,” she told him firmly, shaking her head and resisting the urge to give in to him. “We are not changing the first date. It’s been set for weeks and the instructor booked,” Marisa tells him as sternly as she can, arms crossing as her defiant eyes meet his. 

Asriel scoffs, looking completely unimpressed with her and years ago it might have given her the urge to impress, to show him she was better then he was but not now. She has grown, she no longer feels the need to show Asriel she is just as good, if not better, than him anymore. 

“I can just go ahead and do it. I am a producer, Marisa. Despite what everyone here and _you_ seem to think about it.”

“It’s not about that Asriel. It’s about changing a plan that’s been in place _before_ you were a producer. Not to mention trying to change it on the day of. The group date is in a few hours, you can’t just change it now. No. I’m not trying to pull rank, I’m just trying not to screw over the whole production,” Marisa tried to explain, hand flexing in annoyance around her walkie. 

“You can’t pull rank on me Marisa,” Asriel starts, voice low and gruff as he steps closer to her once again. Marisa hates that even after all these years, Asriel still knows how his physical presence affects her. “We’re on equal footing here, just as we’ve always been,” he whispers to her, smug and smirking; reminding Marisa of a time, before Lyra had even been thought about, of them together in a snow covered cabin, whispering between kisses about all the things they could do together, promising each other the world. 

The memory startles her and she loathes Asriel for it. 

“Enough,” she articulates slowly, the word a very clear warning. “We are not changing the group date. Whatever your idea is can wait for the next one,” Marisa tells him, tone brooking no argument. They may have been on equal footing but she was not going to just let him come in and take over her show completely. 

“Marisa,” he starts to growl but she is already walking away. If she doesn’t leave now, she knows he could talk her into his ridiculous date idea, just like he’d always been able to sway her. He was the only man that ever could. 

Her back is to him now, as she strides towards her producers; glad to see they’ve shooed Marcus away. A production conflict was absolutely nothing to do with the cast and both her producers should know better. She doesn’t understand why they’d let him even take part in the conversation to begin with. Her eyes settle on Serafina and she feels her smirk fall back into place. She won’t look at Boreal, she already knows he’s frowning without having to even look at him. 

“We won’t be changing the group date. Get it set up. And for God’s sake, I want nothing less than a _bitch fight_ tonight. Understood?” Marisa hissed to her two producers, eyeing them both seriously before turning and heading back towards her office. 

An eyebrow rose as she glanced towards Asriel as she walked away. His eyes were focused solely on her and Marisa looked away as she felt the heat of something more than annoyance in his eyes as he looked at her. Her lips pursed and her jaw clenched as she ignored the lust she was pretending she couldn’t see; she didn’t want Asriel anymore, she couldn’t. 

* * *

Marisa heard the third sigh coming from her daughter in as many minutes and tried not to roll her eyes. Lyra had, to her surprise, wanted to have lunch with her. Marisa had agreed wholeheartedly relishing the thought, it felt as if she and her daughter barely got any time together. She’d told Lyra that she would have work through lunch and had thought the teenager would understand. Clearly, not. 

“Is something the matter Lyra?” Marisa asked, looking up from her computer and fixing her gaze on her daughter. 

Lyra sat slouched on the couch, focused on the plate in front of her, frowning intensely. She moved her food around on her plate absently and it was clear to Marisa that something was on her child’s mind. She leant back in her seat, focused on Lyra now as her own brows started to furrow. 

Lyra simply shrugged her shoulders as she glanced up at her mother. 

Lips pressed together, Marisa contemplated what to do. It was clear Lyra had something on her mind and Marisa _wanted_ to be the kind of mother that a daughter could talk to about anything. She glanced between her work and Lyra for a moment before making her decision. 

Pushing away from her desk, Marisa stood up and made her way over to the couch to sit next to her daughter. She smoothed her hands across the satin over her thighs, removing any wrinkles as she sat down, body angled towards her daughter. Her eyes flicked over Lyra slowly and curiously, looking for any other signs of distress and was relieved to find none. The girl simply seemed to be in a sour mood and Marisa wanted desperately to help. 

“Lyra, darling. You know you can talk to me don’t you? About anything at all,” Marisa told her gently, a soft smile on her lips as her head tilted encouragingly towards Lyra. “If something is on your mind…”

At this Lyra sighs, lips pressing together in a move reminiscent of Marisa, glancing at her mother out of the corner of her eye. She dropped the fork on her plate, turning a little so she was facing her mother better. 

“Yeah, I know,” Lyra replied, eyes on her mother as she pretended to think. She shrugged her shoulders then, grimacing. “I’m not sure...if I should say anything,” Lyra mused quietly, glancing at her mother for a moment before looking away. 

Marisa frowned, leaning forward a little to stroke at a strand of Lyra’s hair. It was a familiar gesture and one Lyra knew meant her mother wanted her to feel comfortable and at ease. That was unfortunately, rarely the case. 

“You can tell me _anything_ Lyra,” Marisa cooed, her voice sweet and silky as she smiled widely at her daughter. “I am your _mother_ ,” she insisted, as if the title of mother meant anything to her. 

Lyra sighed, looking up as her eyes met Marisa’s, a look of worry on her features. 

“Well,” Lyra started, sounding hesitantly, though she knew exactly what she wanted to say. “I think they might get back together,” Lyra continued ambiguously. 

Marisa’s head tilted, frown deepening and smile dropping at her daughter’s words. She was confused. “Who?” She asked, genuinely curious. It seemed Lyra knew something that she did not. 

“Ruta Skadi,” Lyra replied, as if Marisa should already know this information. “And father.”

“ _Pardon?_ ” Marisa said slowly, enunciating the word almost unnecessarily. Her hand tightened around the back of the couch, nails digging into the fabric tightly. 

Lyra nodded, looking troubled by the whole thing. “Ruta and father. He said they stopped seeing each other because of distance but, now that they’re both _here_ ,” Lyra continued, lips curling in distaste as she shrugged her shoulders. She watched her mother as the news settled, trying to hold back her amusement at the disdain on her mother’s face. 

“I didn’t realise your father and Ruta...had a history,” Marisa said after a moment, a wide fake smile on her lips as this new information rattled through her brain. Neither had said a _thing_ to her and though it was irrational, it made her angry. It also made complete sense of Ruta’s behaviour since the beginning of the show and Marisa had to bite back her scowl at what she’d learnt. 

“Yeah. They dated for a while. Ruta was around a lot,” Lyra told her mother, her own repressed smirk threatening to grow on her lips, shrugging in an attempt to appear casual. 

It wasn’t hard to tell that her mother was angry by the information. Her father had told her not to tell her mother that he’d dated Ruta; in fact, he never wanted Lyra to say anything when it came to other women in his life. But Lyra wanted to know just what would happen if her mother knew; the clear signs of anger and jealousy sent a little thrill through her. She couldn’t help but wonder what her mother would do now. 

“How... _interesting_ ,” her mother replied tightly, her lips pressed together, trying to hide the displeasure on her face. “Hopefully it won’t affect her job if they do,” Marisa continued, voice steely as she suddenly stood up. 

Lyra watched her mother with muted amusement, picking up her plate and eating some as she watched Marisa stalk across the room, her hands clenching and unclenching. Her mother sat down at her desk with a huff, eyes hard as she glanced at her own lunch and then at her work. Neither seemed appealing. 

“Lyra, I’ve got some important calls to make. Why don’t you finish your lunch outside. It’s a lovely day,” Marisa said suddenly and Lyra smirked. 

“Okay,” she said with a nod, standing up with plate in hand and grabbing her phone. Her mother’s words were not a suggestion, they were very clearly an order. “Bye Mum.”

And with that, Lyra practically skipped out of her mother’s office, a smirk on her face as she headed for the gardens. 

* * *

“I want _tears_ Boreal,” Marisa told him slowly, her eyes fixed with his as he stood across from her. 

She was leaning back against her desk, legs crossed at the ankle and she tried not to smirk at the way Boreal struggled to keep his eyes on her face and not her legs. 

“They’re all getting along far too nicely. How? I want these girls at each other’s throats and in tears. The first night _can’t_ be a fluke,” Marisa mused, arms crossing as she tapped her nails against her walkie in thought. “Talk to Dr. Cooper if you have to. Get some inside info,” Marisa suggested, smiling at her producer. 

“Of course. I’m on it,” Boreal agreed with a nod and a slight smile. He waited a moment, to be dismissed and was surprised when Marisa didn’t send him on his way immediately. 

Marisa smiled as Boreal waited. She enjoyed how in sync with her he seemed to be at times. It made it much easier to get him to do what she wanted. 

“You know, I’d ask Cooper about that Holly girl… Might be something in her file that’ll stir the others up, help you out a little,” Marisa told him softly, an eyebrow raising and a smirk settling on her lips. “After all, we wouldn’t want a repeat of last year… A person’s mental health is _so_ important,” Marisa continued, letting her eyes drift over Boreal slowly as he stepped closer, her tone teasing. 

Boreal nodded, a matching smirk growing on his features. “Of course. We wouldn’t want any of their mental health to suffer. _Utmost importance_ ,” Boreal drawled, nodding at Marisa eagerly. 

“Good man. Now go get ready for the group date,” Marisa praised lowly, straightening up to pat him on the chest, hand lingering a little before he finally stepped away. He grinned at her before turning and heading out the door, calling for Dr. Cooper as he closed the door behind him. Marisa rolled her eyes before moving back around her desk, wondering how she could get Serafina on board. 

* * *

The day had moved quickly then and before she knew it, it was almost time for the group date. She made her way out of her office where she’d spent most of the day, heading for Marcus’ suite. She had told him earlier which women to pick for the group date and she had thought they were on the same page. Until of course he had deliberately picked against the few women she’d suggested. It irked her that he thought he could do what he wanted. This was _her_ show and she was going to pull him back into line. 

She strode across the patio straight towards Marcus’ suite, a stern expression on her features as she did so. She didn’t want him to think this was some kind of social interaction. She was his producer and he needed to understand that before things got too out of hand. So focused on what she was doing that she didn’t notice Ruta crossing the lawn to catch up to her. 

“Marisa!” The young producer called to her as she stopped by her side. 

Marisa scowled briefly before quickly fixing her features into a pleasant and polite smile. She settled her hands in front of her, clasped around her walkie as she glared at the other woman. Her eyes flicked over Ruta slowly, Lyra’s words ringing through her mind. Ruta was beautiful, of that there was no doubt and she appeared a few years younger than Marisa herself but what little she knew of the other woman, Marisa couldn’t figure out what had attracted Asriel to her. 

She was confident and manipulative but had an air of whimsy about her that Marisa didn’t think Asriel would like in a woman. But clearly she didn’t know Asriel’s tastes as well as she thought she did. Lyra had made it clear that their relationship was at least somewhat serious; after all, her child had met the other woman and presumably seen what she was like outside of a set environment. She doubted Asriel would let just any random hook up do that. At least she certainly hoped he did.

Her sudden disdain must have been clear however as Ruta grimaced, steeling herself at Marisa’s expression. Marisa resisted curling her lips in a snarl as she looked at the other woman though she did decide to have some fun with her. “What is it Ruta? Don’t you have a job to be doing?” Marisa snapped, an eyebrow raising imperiously. 

“Actually, I only have one girl on the group date. I thought instead I could stay here with my-”

“And not do your job? Absolutely not,” Marisa snapped, scoffing at the other woman, scowling at her. Her eyes found Ruta’s and she smiled sharply, taking a step closer to her producer. “You’re paid to produce and that’s what you will do. I don’t pay you to play _counsellor_ to a bunch of women you haven’t managed to make stand out. Otherwise they’d be on this group date too,” Marisa told her smoothly, the bite in her tone clear. 

Ruta frowned, she hadn’t expected that reaction. “I can’t help it if the Suitor hasn’t taken an interest in any of them…”

“You’re meant to **make** them interesting. That’s what producing is. I can’t hold your hand through everything,” Marisa told her coldly, sneering at her a little. The woman had quickly gotten on her last nerve; all with only a few words. “Get to work Ruta. I expect you on that van with your girl in 30,” Marisa hissed, brushing past the producer, barely giving her a glance as she walked away. 

Ruta watched her boss walk away, glaring at the other brunette’s back. Marisa had always had an attitude but she had never been openly hostile with her and Ruta couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. Glancing around, she was glad that no one important had seen the scene, though she was sure Marisa would’ve been _worse_ had there been any other witnesses. 

With a sigh, she turned in the opposite direction, to go get her girl ready and talk to the rest of her girls. It seemed almost unfair that only one of her girls would be on the group date. However, she knew it wasn’t exactly her fault; Marcus didn’t seem all that interested in _any_ of the contestants. 

As she walked, her gaze fell on Lyra talking to Lee and a thought struck her. Had Marisa found out about her past relationship with Asriel? The man had always wanted to keep things on the down low and she’d respected that, even when he’d broken it off for no reason and when he’d shown up in the control room, she’d been stunned. It was like fate had brought them back together but she’d barely had a chance to talk to Asriel for more than a few minutes since he’d shown up. 

When she’d joined the show last season, she’d known Marisa Coulter was the mother of Asriel’s daughter and meeting her and working for her; she hadn’t been surprised one bit that he’d been attracted to her. She’d not gotten the whole story of their affair but it was common knowledge in television circles that the intelligent, beautiful young wife of Edward Coulter, a prolific producer in his own right with his own production company, had had an affair and had a child with another man. It had been a big scandal at the time, especially when Marisa’s husband had died not long after the birth of her child. 

It had all been so messy and that was just from the media perspective. Ruta couldn’t imagine what the real story would have been. Though she had tried asking Asriel once, it hadn’t ended well and she’d never brought up the mother of his child again. 

Now she had the distinct impression that Marisa knew about her and Asriel and wasn’t happy about it. She didn’t understand why, of course; it wasn’t like they’d been together in 13 years. As far as she knew, at least. 

But despite Marisa’s hostile behaviour, Ruta wasn’t going to let it phase her. She wanted Asriel back and she wasn’t afraid to go up against the other woman if she had too. And considering how angry Asriel had always been about the woman when they were together, she didn’t think there’d be any real competition. 

Her earpiece crackled in her ear then and Ruta sighed, shaking her head of her thoughts. She needed to focus; for right now, her personal life could wait. 

* * *

Marisa grinned wide and pleased as she watched the group date clips. Asriel’s suggestion earlier hadn’t been a bad one, though she’d never let him know that. They did want Marcus to be desirable to the contestants and to the viewers and so she’d had a little talk with the Suitor. 

Now, watching it back, she couldn’t help but be pleased with herself. The painting class group date had turned interesting when it was revealed that Marcus would be the model. She’d had to talk him into it but it hadn’t been as hard as she’d thought. In fact, Marcus seemed all too happy to get his kit off in front of the group and Marisa knew the women would be thrilled by it. She certainly had been. 

The afternoon and evening had been a success and the next episode was shaping up to be excellent. 

She grinned as they finally wrapped for the night; tears, drama and an actual physical fight had all occurred. It was all Marisa could do to keep from preening as she helped the editor put together clips for the promos. “This is brilliant,” Marisa cooed, grinning widely at the man. “Send it through before you leave,” she told him as she stood up finally, smoothing out her skirt and grabbing her walkie. 

So focused on calling and editing the show, Marisa hadn’t noticed that most of the crew, including Asriel and Lyra had disappeared from the control room. She frowned as she realised that they must have left already and Lyra hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye. It seemed her child was constantly attempting to get away from her. 

She sighed as she made her way into her office, heading for the drink tray. It was late and she knew she would have to drive home but it had been an extraneous few days. She turned off her walkie, placing it down on her desk before pouring out a liberal finger of scotch into a crystal glass. She’d only just taken her first sip when she heard a knock coming from the patio doors. 

Marisa’s brows furrowed, turning sharply towards the sound in confusion. Slowly, she made her way over and pulled one door open cautiously, surprise flitting over her features at Marcus standing in the door way. 

“Mr. King,” Marisa drawled, an eyebrow raising at the man. “What do you think you’re doing here?” She asked, even as she stepped out of the door way and let him through. 

“Mr. King, insisting on that, huh?” Marcus said with a laugh as he stepped into her office, smiling down at her. 

Marisa shook her head, closing the patio door quickly behind her. “I’d offer you a drink,” she said, lifting the glass in her hand and taking a sip. “But you’re not supposed to be in here…”

“Oh, come on Marisa,” Marcus drawled, a hand reaching out to take the drink straight from her hand. He took a sip and Marisa shook her head, mouth upturned in a smirk. “That’s some good scotch,” he told her, placing it down on her desk. 

Marisa stepped closer, reaching for the glass once again and finishing it off, as she leant a hip against her desk. “I know you didn’t just come here for scotch, Marcus,” Marisa started then, voice low and eyebrows rising. 

The Suitor chuckled then, grinning widely as he rubbed a hand over his face. Marisa could feel his eyes on her, lingering over her body and felt the familiar pleasure of being admired. 

“You’re right. I didn’t. Aren’t you meant to be my producer?” Marcus started, head tilting forwards a little to look at her in the eye. “It doesn’t seem like you’ve been producing me much,” he continued. 

Marisa sighed. “Producing you isn’t my only job, you know,” Marisa told him, her tone full of amusement. “In fact, I have a whole _show_ to produce. Amazing that, isn’t it?” she replied, almost flirtatiously. 

She scoffed at herself then. She’d told herself that nothing would happen between them again. It had been a mistake. 

Marcus simply laughed, not saying anything in response. Instead, he lifted a hand to her hair, stroking a few curls back over her shoulder. “It is and you do a wonderful job of it. Suggest _I_ be the model for the group date? Genius,” he praised her, his smirk widening on his lips. “But was that for the shows benefit, or yours?” he asked with a cheeky grin. “If you wanted to see me without my clothes again, all you had to do was ask,” he told her with a laugh. 

Marisa smirked, head tilting to the side a little as she looked up at him. “I did ask,” she replied slowly, letting her eyes drift over his form for a moment before settling on his eyes once again. 

She knew it was a bad idea but it had been a long day and she was in a good mood. Even after finding out about Asriel and Ruta. So she stepped closer, a hand settling on his chest. Marcus took it as all the encouragement he needed and swooped in to kiss her eagerly. Marisa kissed back eagerly, thrilled by the kiss and by the fact Marcus seemed to want her so badly. 

His hands moved around her, pressing her back against her desk. Things got heated quickly and Marisa pushed him back after a moment, shaking her head. His hands were under her shirt and wrapped around her thigh and Marisa knew she had to put a stop to what was happening before it went too far. It was the most unprofessional thing she’d ever done. 

“We _can’t_ Marcus,” she told him slightly breathless, pushing him away. “You need to go. Now,” Marisa insisted, shaking her head. 

Marcus sighed but nodded, deciding now wasn’t the time to argue with her. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he whispered to her against her ear. 

Marisa watched him leave, shaking her head. She couldn’t believe how easily she’d given in to him. She picked up her glass and poured herself another double of scotch, draining it all in one go. She needed to go home, before she did something she regretted. 

* * *

Lyra huffed as she made her way back into the control and towards her mother’s office. She’d left her AirPods on the coffee table and had insisted to her father that she couldn’t be home without them. Only the editor guy was still sitting at his desk, working on his computer and Lyra wondered if her mother was still around. 

She pushed open her mother’s office door slowly, not wanting to disturb her mother if she was still there. She stopped, stunned in the slight crack of the door way however when she looked into the office. Her brows furrowed and her lips settled in a pout. 

Her mother was there, _kissing_ the Suitor. 

The sight made her angry and she huffed, closing the door behind her and resisting the urge to slam it shut. That was _wrong_. She wasn’t meant to be kissing the Suitor! She’d seen how jealous her mother had been when she’d told her about her father and Ruta. 

It was going to ruin her plans; her mother and father were supposed to get back together. They were supposed to be a _family_. Her mother wasn’t supposed to be kissing some random contestant on her show. Her mother was ruining everything.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asriel tries his luck with Marisa and Lyra lashes out at her. Meanwhile, Marisa see's something she doesn't like and does something reckless.

**THREE**

* * *

Lyra sat with her arms crossed and a slight glare in her eyes as the Leaving ceremony played out on multiple screens from multiple angles in front of her. She didn’t care much for what was happening on the screen but both her parents seemed _enthralled_ by the spectacle, grinning between each other as one of the contestants had a meltdown after not being picked to stay. Lyra could barely contain a scoff. 

“Absolute television _gold_ ,” Marisa mused, voice high and delighted as she turned, her eyes meeting Asriel’s. Neither of them had anything to do with the meltdown but Lyra knew her parents would take the credit anyway. 

She watched with a muted disdain as Asriel picked up his walkie, speaking into it quickly and clearly. “Camera B, close up on _Meltdown’s_ face...follow her,” he instructed the cameraman, his own smug smirk settling on his features. Despite his instruction, he wasn’t looking as the camera man followed the angry contestant through the set, her producer bounding after her as well. His eyes were firmly on her mother. 

Lyra rolled her eyes, tuning out the sounds around her as her parents called the end of the show. It wasn’t like anything _interesting_ would happen. The Leaving ceremony was the last thing they filmed for the day and they were now down to 14 girls. She could hear her mother making some comment about Marcus the _Suitor_ and this time couldn’t contain the scoff that escaped her. She cringed when she felt eyes upon her and pursed her lips together, brows furrowed as she debated whether to look up or not. 

In the end, she did, knowing her Mother would see it as a sign of further disrespect if she didn’t. 

“Something the matter, Lyra?” Marisa asked archly, her eyes set on her daughter. For two days she had been enduring the young teenagers attitude and she was very close to being done with it. And she had noticed, it was only directed towards her; Lyra had been perfectly lovely to her father. 

“No,” came Lyra’s short, sharp snarky reply and Marisa frowned, her own gaze hardening a little as she looked at her daughter. This was not the time or the place to attempt to have a conversation about Lyra’s attitude so Marisa let it go; casting a glance towards Asriel as she turned back towards the television screens. Lyra simply rolled her eyes, still glaring at her mother’s back. 

* * *

The show had wrapped and Lyra had been sent off home with Thorold, Asriel deciding it was better to separate Marisa and Lyra before the tension between them boiled over into an argument. Though they lived separately, Asriel knew that Marisa and Lyra had always had a contentious relationship but in the last year or so, it had gotten much, much worse. They fought near constantly and Asriel knew, if Lyra hadn’t been in boarding school, that she’d no doubt be fighting to get away from her mother’s house constantly. 

He knew deep down that it wasn’t all entirely Marisa’s fault. As Lyra had grown older, Asriel had realised that she was becoming more and more like her mother; so it had been no surprise when their similar personalities had started to clash. Marisa tried to control and contain too much; forgetting how she had hated it at Lyra’s age. 

Still, he knew they were at times a combustible combination and if the last few days were any indication, a blow up was coming soon. 

Stepping into the control room, he found it empty save for the lone editor, always working hard and never talking. He continued on to Marisa’s office, pushing open the door, his eyes landing on Marisa immediately, as she sat straight backed at her desk. A half empty glass of amber liquid on her desk and Asriel frowned only slightly; drinking at work was a sure sign that she was stressed. 

He closed the door behind him and turned towards the drink cart Marisa kept. He knew she didn’t use it often but it was always kept well stocked, just in case. He poured himself out two fingers of scotch, not speaking until he turned around and settled on the couch, stretching himself out like a cat. He could feel Marisa’s eyes on him, watching him as he moved about her office and he was surprised that she said nothing. He’d expected a snarky comment at least when he’d poured himself a glass of her good scotch. 

Instead, she stayed silent and though it wasn’t rare, it was concerning. 

Asriel took a long sip of his drink before turning his gaze on Marisa once again. “Staring any harder won’t make you finish quicker,” Asriel told her, voice slow as he relaxed back on the couch. His eyes stayed on her until she finally looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. 

“I’ve got work to do Asriel. This show doesn’t run itself,” Marisa snapped out, finally looking up from the work scattered across her desk and up at Asriel. 

He smirked. “I _am_ an executive producer too. Shouldn’t half of that work be mine?” Asriel questioned, watching Marisa curiously. 

Despite what it may have looked like, considering Marisa barely allowed for him to do anything, Asriel enjoyed working. He was _good_ at producing. In fact, he and Marisa had originally bonded over their shared love of work and their ability to get things done. There was an inherent ruthlessness and surety in the both of them; it was one of the things that attracted Asriel to Marisa, even after all these years. 

He’d found no one more his equal then Marisa Coulter. 

“I don’t need your help, Asriel. I can run my show just perfectly on my own,” Marisa told him, her tone clearly conveying her annoyance. 

Asriel frowned as he looked at her, taking another sip of his scotch before speaking. “I’m sure you can Marisa. I’m not disputing that. You’re a brilliant producer. But you’re no longer the only executive producer here now. Let me do my job. You know I know what I’m doing Marisa,” Asriel told her forthrightly. “I didn’t come here to try and steal your show. Nor did I come here to ruin it,” he informed her. He didn’t have to be a genius to know that that would be where her mind was taking her. 

“Oh really? So how _did_ you end up here then?” Marisa replied archly, an eyebrow raised as she looked over at him curiously. “Hm? Didn’t you have your own show?”

Asriel’s face hardened, shifting a little in his seat at her words. His own show...well, he wasn’t going to get into that with her. Especially not in the mood she was in now. A version of the truth would suffice. 

“The studio asked me to join a current show as executive producer and I said yes, while mine is on hiatus. MacPhail didn’t tell me which show until it was too late,” Asriel told her honestly. He hadn’t known that _Everlasting UK_ was the show he’d be joining. Personally, he’d thought it was a terrible idea but the moment he saw Marisa, he decided he’d make it worth it. He wouldn’t say it was fate, neither of them believed in that but it meant something that they were together again; all _three_ of them. 

“You expect me to believe that?” Marisa asked with a scoff, taking up her own glass of scotch now and finishing it off. 

“Marisa, MacPhail kept me in the dark too,” Asriel insisted, watching her as she stood up and refilled her glass. He brought his own scotch to his lips, draining the glass. Asriel stood then, making his way slowly across the room towards Marisa as she turned around from pouring her drink. 

She startled, for only a moment, though if he didn’t know her as he did, he’d never have been able to tell. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him hawkishly, hand tightening around her glass as she took a sip. Asriel grinned, stopping only when they were a few centimetres apart a slight smirk on his lips as he looked at her. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Marisa asked quietly, her eyes flicking over him before settling on his eyes. 

Asriel leant forward, hand skimming her side deliberately as he placed his glass down on the tray behind her. He watched her carefully, noting the way her breath hitched and her pulse raced beneath her neck. Asriel smirked smugly. 

“Getting another drink,” he replied, hand wrapping around the glass she held in front of her, plucking it easily from her fingers. He brought it up to his lips, taking a healthy sip even as Marisa frowned at him. “You always did have good taste in scotch,” he murmured, holding the drink back out to her. 

Marisa stared for a moment, pursing her lips before snatching the glass back. “Don’t,” she murmured, head tilting upwards as she attempted to take a small step back. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to go. She scowled a little at the realisation, directing a glare at Asriel then. “Shame my taste in men isn’t so good,” she sniped, knowing it was hardly a witty thing to say but wanting to annoy him in some way. 

Asriel simply laughed at her attempted insult. He grinned, fingers drifting to skim over her left hand, tapping at her bare ring finger. He remembered a time long ago when he used to want to pull the wedding bands from her finger and toss them aside. She had never let him, of course but it was a fantasy he’d maintained throughout their whole affair. 

“True. Poor old Eddie Coulter couldn’t quite keep up with you could he?” Asriel bit back teasingly, smirking as he noticed her flinch. 

“Don’t talk about Edward, Asriel” Marisa snapped out, shaking her head. Asriel knew she had no love lost for her dead husband and it had been thirteen years. Their daughter was older then her entire marriage had been. “That was a long time ago.”

“And yet, you still go by Mrs. Coulter. Why is that?” He asked, leaning closer, their breath mingling. Asriel knew the answer, of course. The Coulter name held weight in the television world and Marisa wasn’t above using it to get what she wanted. It was, after all, how she’d gotten _Everlasting UK_. 

He grinned as he felt her hand press against his chest. She was pushing him away but that was hardly a problem. 

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, Asriel,” Marisa hissed as she pushed him away. “But you won’t... _seduce me_ into anything anymore,” she bit out, though her heart was racing at his mere proximity. 

An eyebrow rose and though he took several steps back to give her space, he couldn’t help but grin cockily. “Seduce you? I don’t think I said anything about trying to seduce you Marisa,” Asriel replied with a wide grin, letting his eyes travel over her body slowly and deliberately. 

Marisa huffed, arms crossing. “Get out of my office Asriel. I have work to do,” Marisa insisted, taking a few steps away from him and heading back to her desk, creating a barrier between them. 

“I was simply offering my help Marisa,” Asriel told her lightly, as he made his way to the door. He gave her one last knowing look before exiting the office and heading for his car. He knew if he pushed her too much he would get nowhere and considering that’s where they’d been for the last thirteen years; he didn’t want to be stuck there any longer. 

* * *

The next day was a hectic one and a phone call from MacPhail had put Marisa into a terrible mood. More so than usual. 

“Fix it!” Marisa snapped over her coffee cup, barely glancing at the younger producer. 

“But that’s not my jo-”

Marisa turned around quickly, her eyes finding Ruta’s as she glared. “I am the boss around here. I tell you to do something, you _do it_. Unless you fancy a trip to the unemployment office,” Marisa told her lightly, her tone wrapped in honey but her words vicious and pointed all the same. 

Ruta simply gulped, her features strained as she shook her head. No, she did not fancy the thought of unemployment and she doubted Asriel would find it all that appealing either. So instead she turned and hurried off to fix the trivial problem, intent on keeping her job even as Marisa continued to treat her worse and worse. 

It hadn’t been like this during the last season, in fact, Ruta thought she and Marisa had been getting along splendidly. She’d anticipated that, that would continue into this new season but it hadn’t. There was only one change that had occurred between last season and this one and it wasn’t hard to see that Asriel’s presence had affected Marisa in some way. 

Ruta sneered as she walked away. It was becoming clear to her that Marisa was threatened by her. For days now she had been snapping at her and taking her anger out on her. The _only_ explanation of Marisa’s sudden change in treatment had to be that she now knew about her previous, and hopefully soon rekindled, relationship with Asriel. She scurried through the set, intent on fixing the stupid problem Marisa could've handed off to a PA and then, to find Asriel. 

* * *

Ever since their kiss in her office several days before, Marisa had been avoiding Marcus as much as she could. Instead of doing her job of producing him, she’d been sending Clara or Serafina in her place. She knew the other producer didn’t appreciate it but Marisa didn’t trust Boreal or Ruta to do what she asked; at least she knew Serafina was on the top of her game. She contemplated, as she made her way through the set, giving Serafina a bonus at the end of the season. 

She exhaled slowly, straightening her spine and pulling her shoulders back. She knocked lightly against Marcus’ suite door before pushing it open and stepping inside, eyes finding him immediately. She pressed her lips together, glancing up at the uncovered cameras then back to Marcus who was looking at her father too smugly for her liking. 

“Want me to get the towels?” He asked, tone full of amusement as he grinned at her, head gesturing towards the towel hanging over his bathroom door. 

Marisa sighed, shaking her head at his words, even as a smile lifted the corner of her lips. Despite herself, she enjoyed Marcus’ company; there was something magnetic about him that she found herself drawn and attracted to and she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. But it didn’t matter. Marcus was the Suitor and nothing could happen between them again, even though it was clear they both wanted to. 

“No, _no_ ,” Marisa told him firmly with a shake of her head. She took a deep breath, hands by her sides as she stayed by the door. Any closer and she worried she’d lose her composure. “The other night, that kiss, it shouldn’t have happened. We both know that. You’re here as the Suitor, you need to be focused on the competition and the girls. Whatever we had, it’s in the past and it needs to stay there. Do you understand?” Marisa told him sternly, though her voice was as smooth as honey. 

She watched Marcus sigh, shoulders dropping a little as he moved back to sit on the edge of his bed. He was clearly disappointed but Marisa had no time or inclination to ease some man’s disappointment. 

“I understand that. I’m not a child Marisa. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun in the meantime…” Marcus replied after a moment, a slight smile still apparent on his lips. 

Marisa chuckled, amused by his words and his audacity. 

“It does,” she told him firmly, bright icy blue eyes meeting his. She inhaled, setting a warm smile on him then, her focus changed. “Now, your first double date, Dana and Samantha would be good choices. _Both_ are very intelligent and hard working and ready for a family. They’re wholesome but they’re sexy. I think you’ll get along with them, plus you haven’t spent much time with them yet. You’ve really got to start getting to know more of the women, Marcus. You wouldn’t want them to start thinking you’re not interested, would you?” Marisa explained to him encouragingly, a knowing smile settling on her lips. 

She watched him as he ran a hand over his head, scratching at his beard for a moment as he thought. Everything she did was for the good of the show, even putting distance between them. 

“Alright, alright. Dana and Samantha... And what’ll I get out of it?” Marcus asked, grinning up at her cheekily. 

Marisa shook her head, her own amused smile settling on her lips. “Hopefully a _wife_ by the end of the show,” she teased back, turning towards the door. She had it half pushed open, when she glanced back at him over her shoulder. “I’m serious Marcus. Start getting to know these women better. You might even get a shag out of it.”

She was grinning, a self satisfied smirk on her lips as she shut the door quickly behind her. 

She took a moment, adjusting the watch on her wrist slightly before setting off towards her office once again. She was only a few metres away from Marcus’ suite when she spotted Lyra, sitting in a little alcove and watching her steadfastly. She grimaced a little, brows furrowing as she realised Lyra could see directly towards Marcus’ room. It all seemed a little suspicious to her. 

However, before she could even get a word out, Lyra was speaking. 

“Seeing your _boyfriend_?” Lyra hissed, glaring at her. 

“Excuse me?” Marisa bit back slowly, eyes sharp at Lyra’s words. “I’m sure I don’t know _what_ you mean,” she hissed, taking a quick glance around them before catching Lyra’s arm in her hand and pulling her further into the alcove. 

Lyra scoffed, pulling her arm from her mother’s talon like grip. “Isn’t it against the rules to hook up with the Suitor? Or is that just for everyone else around here?” Lyra spat out almost petulantly. 

Marisa straightened, face tensing as she looked down at her daughter. She took a breath, shaking her head before smiling tightly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about Lyra. No one has been ‘hooking up’ with the Suitor, least of all me,” Marisa told her, voice sharp as her eyes met Lyra’s. “Now, you need to get such silly notions out of your head and run along. Hanging out around the contestants rooms is hardly a suitable place for a young girl. _Go_.”

Lyra scowled up at her, huffing before turning and making her way away from her mother. It was clear to her that her mother was never going to admit she’d done anything wrong. 

* * *

The scowl stayed on Lyra’s face as she headed towards craft services, as far away from her Mother as she could find without straying into the woodland surrounding the castle. It was all still on the property but Lyra didn’t particularly feel like getting lost. No doubt it’d just make her parents angry with her; her father had been rather neglectful of her since he’d started on the show but she knew something like getting lost would get his attention. At least until _Mother_ stole it away again. 

She huffed, grabbing roughly at a crisp packet, ignoring the fruit in a small act of defiance against her mother. Marisa detested feeding her anything overly processed and Asriel barely monitored her food habits at all. She was starting to think that trying to get them together again was a bad idea; she couldn’t fathom how they’d ended up together long enough to have her in the first place. 

So caught up in thinking about her parents, she didn’t even notice Maggie Costa, one of the camera techs beside her. Lyra tore at the crisps, the packet opening with a burst as she huffed and she could hear Maggie Costa’s laugh. Lyra resisted the urge to whirl around and snap at the woman, she may have been the executive producers’ daughter but she knew she couldn’t get away with that. No matter how much she wanted to try her luck. 

“You alright there?” Maggie Costa asked, peering down at her curiously as she grabbed some crisps and tossed them to Lyra. “What’d those crisps ever do to you?” The blonde woman joked, bumping her arm against hers jovially. 

Lyra sighed, opening the new packet more carefully, even though the tension she felt hadn’t gone yet. “Nothin’,” she replied sulkily, pouting a little as she glanced at Maggie Costa. 

“Ya sure?” Maggie asked, an eyebrow raised as she made herself a coffee, watching Lyra out of the corner of her eye. “I saw you and ya Ma talking just before. Seemed kinda like an argument...”

Lyra shrugged as she turned to lean against the table, glad no one else was around as she contemplated telling her what their argument had been about. “Maybe,” Lyra said slowly, suspiciously. “She’s just...so _annoying_ and _frustrating_.”

Lyra watched as the woman laughed at her words, a smirk on her lips as if she understood. “Mother’s do tend to get like that,” she told her with a nod. “I remember fighting with my Ma at your age too. Every girl does, but you shouldn’t be too hard on her. She loves ya, she’s just tryin’ to figure out how to show you now that you’re growing up,” Maggie Costa told her, shaking her head a little. 

It was clear to Lyra, that the blonde thought she was giving good advice. And maybe it would have been if the argument she’d had with her mother hadn’t been about _her_. Lyra sighed though, realising she couldn’t exactly explain to Maggie what the argument was really about. As much as she was angry and annoyed with her mother, she didn’t want to get her into trouble. 

“Yeah...maybe. Thanks Maggie,” Lyra told her, brows still furrowed and lips still pouting a little as she walked away. It hadn’t helped but at least Maggie Costa had tried to talk to her which was much more then she could say for her own mother. Marisa had simply shut her down and pretended she didn’t know what she was talking about; like she always did. 

* * *

Marisa huffed in annoyance as she watched the scene before her. Ruta had her hands all over Asriel, his own gripping the other woman’s forearms tightly. But he wasn’t pushing her away and Marisa couldn’t, for the life of her, hear what the pair were saying. She scowled, anger and jealousy though she’d never dare admit it, bubbling up inside her. 

First Lyra and now Asriel. It seemed to her that the Belacqua's, because that’s what they were when they infuriated her, had decided to ruin her day. Sometimes she wondered if they coordinated their ridiculous behaviour, all to get her when she was the most vulnerable. Surely, she reasoned with herself, it was the only way to explain the way they both managed to get under her skin so easily. 

With Lyra, the feeling only ever lasted so long before fell back into doting on her daughter. Lyra was of course her flesh and blood, her precious child, her _only_ child; she could forgive her anything. But Asriel - well, she had never known whether she wanted to kiss him or kill him. The line had blurred so often over the years she simply tried not to think about it. 

Currently though, she was very firmly on the killing side of the line. He had been flirtatious and charming ever since the start of the show and she had been slowly falling for it all over again. It had been _stupid_ of her to let Asriel have any more power over her then what he already had. 

It was with a low, angry growl that she spun around, turning her back on the scene and missing the sight of Asriel pushing Ruta away; instead heading back to her office on a warpath. Her hand squeezed her walkie tightly, the pressure the only thing keeping her from physically lashing out at anything or anyone. Dr. Cooper attempted to ambush her for a talk but a quick few words and a shark-like smile had the older woman scampering away in fear. Just as Marisa liked it. 

* * *

The rest of the day was filled with tension and by the time they were filming the Leaving Ceremony everybody on set was on edge. 

Marisa sat in the control room, body tightly coiled in her chair as she snapped orders out through the walkie, calling the show with a bite that many hadn’t seen in a long time. Asriel, though he was sitting beside her, gave her a wide berth. The man knew when to pick his battles with her and by the poisonous glare he’d received, any battle with her at the moment would end with him wounded. 

“That’s a wrap,” Marisa called through her walkie, clutching the device like it was a lifeline. She stood then, glancing around the room as she handed out orders. “I want the promo package put together for the Leaving Ceremony done before I leave. Understood?” And with that, she headed for her office, door slamming loudly behind her. 

Marisa headed straight for her drinks tray, bypassing the scotch that she’d shared with Asriel and instead poured herself a generous glass of whiskey. She threw it back quickly, wincing and grimacing as it burned it’s way down her throat. She didn’t drink often and she drank whiskey even less but she’d needed something to take the edge off fast and she knew it’d do the trick. She let out a sigh, taking a moment to breathe before finishing off her glass. 

She grabbed the vodka then, adding a few ice cubes before pouring in the clear alcohol and moving around to settle at her desk. Reports and budgets awaited her on her desk and though they didn’t need to be done right away, she needed something to occupy her time. If Asriel and the crew knew what was good for them they would stay away, she was in no mood to try and be civil with anyone. 

The only exception would be Lyra but she knew her thirteen year old wouldn’t want to talk to her. It was an unfortunate cycle that was starting to repeat. Usually their arguments weren’t over something like who Lyra thought she was ‘hooking up’ with and the fact Lyra had even dared say those words to her had stunned her. Marisa didn’t know how Lyra knew something had happened between her and Marcus but the fact she knew enough to try and call her on it was worrying. She had no idea whether anyone else knew or if Lyra had simply picked up on something from Asriel. 

Marisa groaned as she thought of her former lover, only half focused on the work in front of her. She didn’t understand what game he was playing and Asriel had always been someone she could read well. It frustrated her, not knowing why he was doing the things he was. One moment he was flirting with her and the next he was all over another woman; it made no sense and she hated him for the fact it was all she could think about. 

She was on her third drink of the night by the time the editor came in to let her know the promo for the next episode was done. She pushed herself up and out of the office, glad to see the control room was clear except for the two of them. 

“Good, good. You’re _brilliant_ , you know,” Marisa praised the editor, smiling widely at the young man. He sent it through to the studio and she sent him off home. 

The control room was finally clear, save for Marisa. She slumped down in her seat, suddenly feeling a little tired and directed her gaze towards the bright tv screens. They hadn’t been turned off yet and as she stood up to do just that, movement caught her eye. Marcus was still awake. 

She bit her lip, watching him for a moment before moving to turn all the monitors off. In the now dark control room, her hands tapped at the back of her seat as a dangerous, reckless thought settled in her mind. The alcohol in her system was taking over and before she knew it, she was making her way out of the control room, bypassing as many of the cameras as she could and heading for Marcus’s suite. 

She knocked and waited, an inviting smirk on her lips as the door finally opened. 

“Marisa?” Marcus asked in surprise, a hand resting on his hip as he leant against the door, looking casual and at home. 

Marisa couldn’t help but let her eyes travel over Marcus’ shirtless body hungrily before meeting his eyes. “My office,” was all she said, turning sharply and knowing he would follow. 

Despite only having to say two words and giving him a once over, men were predictable. Marisa, better than anyone, knew how to use that to her advantage and get what she wanted. Hardly any of her encounters ever ended in sex but there had always been the promise of it and that had kept men doing her bidding for far longer then she was sure any of them would admit. 

Marcus was no different which was evident as she pulled him into her office and guided him towards her couch. “I was thinking about what you said earlier and...you might be right,” she told him lightly, eyes wide as she gazed up at him. 

“Oh? Which part?” He asked smugly, letting her hands on his forearms guide him to sit down. 

Marisa grinned seductively as her hands hitched up the sides of her skirt. “That we could have some _fun_ in the meantime,” she drawled out, settling her knees either side of his thighs and lowering herself to straddle his lap. 

His hands were on her in a flash then, running up her thigh and gripping her hip tightly. Marcus looked at her, brows furrowed curiously. “Are you sure?” He asked, wondering about her sudden change of mind regarding the whole thing. 

Her hands snaked up his arms and shoulders, palms settling on his cheeks as she cupped his face. “Yes,” she breathed, pulling him into a hot, rough kiss and grinding her hips against his own. “Now fuck me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, if anyone is wondering what Marcus King the Suitor looks like; Idris Elba is how I imagine him. :)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed. Please review! :) LT.


End file.
